this post was submitted on 04 Jan 2024
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532
Microsoft is adding a new key to PC keyboards for the first time since 1994 (arstechnica.com)
submitted 8 months ago by jordanlund@lemmy.world to c/technology@lemmy.world
534 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

Copilot key will eventually be required in new PC keyboards, though not yet.

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[–] Blue_Morpho@lemmy.world 3 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (2 children)

Never saw the point given that you could already set chord combinations of Shift, Ctrl and Alt to give more hotkeys than you are likely to remember.

[–] Ephera@lemmy.ml 12 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Well, that is one advantage, that it's somewhat easier to remember Super+P than Ctrl+Alt+P.

But of course, it's also just a key which likely won't conflict with keyboard shortcuts used in applications. By convention, Super is only used for OS-level shortcuts.

[–] Blue_Morpho@lemmy.world 4 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (2 children)

If the Windows key didn't exist, Ctrl Alt would work just as well and wouldn't require anything else to remember because all OS level shortcuts would be Ctrl Alt shortcuts that wouldn't conflict with any applications.

Using Ctrl Alt would also be faster and more accessible because they are on the right and left instead of the current Super key (Windows) being only on the left.

[–] lemmyvore@feddit.nl 6 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

Sometimes a key gets bound in all regular modifiers so you really need another one.

For example I use Super+F for fullscreen because Ctrl+F, Alt+F and Ctrl+Alt+F are all taken in this or that program.

Oh and btw the right-hand Alt is usually AltGr not regular Alt for non-English countries, it's used for composing diacritics.

[–] kux@lemm.ee 2 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

non-English countries

Pedantic point but of the major English QWERTY layouts, US has two Alts, UK has AltGr on the right

[–] lemmyvore@feddit.nl 1 points 8 months ago

It doesn't matter what it says on the key, it gets mapped to AltGr so it can't be used as Alt.

[–] callyral@pawb.social 2 points 8 months ago

the current Super key (Windows) being only on the left.

i have a keyboard that has the super key on both sides, next to alt gr

[–] magnus@lemmy.ahall.se 3 points 8 months ago

I have been using key shortcut chaining in my WMs for freeing up more application hotkeys and also make them easier to remember. And it it still quite fast.

Starts them off by Ctrl+T, then for example: A (Audio) - [P, Pause; N; Next; V, Volume] R (Run) - [B, Browser; I, Inkscape; S, Spotify; Q, SQL editor]

And a lot more. The mnemonics helps me remember them, and Ctrl+T, R, B is quick enough to launch a browser.